By Justin Corbett

March and basketball tournaments…name a better combo. The ASC regular season has completed, which brings us to the best time of the year, March Madness. 

The Lobos finished the regular season with a record of 9-13 (7-5 in conference), including a big 55-46 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first time since 2004, on the way to a 3^rd seed in the ASC West. 

This marks the first time the women have qualified for the tourney since 2017. On paper, the Lobos are an underdog. Ask anyone on the team though, and they'll tell you something else. "We don't necessarily feel as if we are underdogs coming in." said Head Coach Katie Novak. She also noted that they have walked into the building every day with something to prove, and that they will continue to use that approach moving forward.
 
The Lobos will be traveling to Brownwood to take on Howard Payne on Wednesday at 6PM. The two teams have already seen each other twice this year, with the home team winning both. Game one was in Alpine and dominated by Vania Hampton's career-high 30 points with 15 rebounds. The second game was in Brownwood and controlled by HPU guards Chelsey Harris and Amanda Turpin. 

The two matchups were polar opposites. In Alpine, the Lobos would control the glass and attack the basket resulting in 34 free throw attempts on the way to a 76-65 win. However, in Brownwood, HPU would control the glass and used 11 triples to outpace Sully 87-63. 

Keys to the game: control the glass, limit the three-point shot, attack the basket. 

Sul Ross won four of their seven games this season when winning the battle on the glass. As far as taking away the triple, HPU tends to be reliant on the three, shooting seven per game, and when they get hot from outside the arc, they become extremely tough to beat.

Getting to the bucket can be tough at times. Free throws, however, can swing a game. Sully should look to get it to the basket early and often, whether off the drive or just working it down low.
  
HPU comes in with a three-game win streak. Their leading scorer, Chelsey Harris, is averaging 17 points per game against Sully this year. Guard Salina Ali has also added eight total steals when facing the Lobos.

Similar to everything else, COVID-19 has changed the way the conference tournament will operate. In a normal year, the whole event would be at one location, however due to the different protocols at each school, there will be four host sites in the first round. Followed by two in the second round. This does create a path for the Lobos to host a second-round game, however this requires the #1 seed, Hardin-Simmons, to lose in the first round to Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 

2021 American Southwest Conference
Women's Basketball Championship Tournament


Championship Information
Host Site | Bracket | History | Records
ASC Basketball Statistics | Twitter #ASChoops | NCAA Division III

Championship Apparel Store


Pets are not permitted at ASC championship events except for certified service animals
that are properly trained, marked, and leashed. 


QUARTERFINALS:  Wednesday, March 10
Host sites at higher seed

Game 1: #3W Sul Ross State (9-13) at #2W Howard Payne (10-6)
6:00 p.m. / Brownwood, Texas
Video | Live Stats

Game 2: #4E Belhaven (6-11) at #1E East Texas Baptist (23-0)
6:00 p.m. / Marshall, Texas
 Video | Live Stats

Game 3: #3E LeTourneau (12-5) at #2E UT Dallas (13-3)
6:00 p.m. / Richardson, Texas
Video | Live Stats

Game 4: #4W Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-8) at #1W Hardin-Simmons (16-4)
5:00 p.m. / Abilene, Texas
Video | Live Stats


SEMIFINALS: Sunday, March 14
Host: Highest remaining West Division seed

Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
TBA


Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
TBA


CHAMPIONSHIP: Monday, March 15

Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
6:00 p.m.

2021 All-Tournament Team
Announced after the championship game